Cooking with Katie...

Valentine’s Day is THIS weekend, people! I repeat, THIS WEEKEND. Truth be told, it’s now all about our kids- which is super cute. (I’m their MOM, I can say it’s cute 😉 ) They get really excited about writing out their little Valentine’s for their friends and classmates, dressing up and of course….the CHOCOLATE! If you’re eager to celebrate and are cooking at home this year- you might still be looking for the perfect cocktail and the easiest, most delicious dessert, don’t worry…. I’ve got you. It really doesn’t get any easier than these two. Trust me. I made them both in under 30 minutes and they’re festive! WINNING!

Ingredients

This recipe adapted from: crazyforcrust.com

• 2 oz espresso (or brewed coffee)
• 1 cup whipped cream -I used lite coolwhip (8oz)
• 1 cup powdered sugar 
• 8 ounces mascarpone cheese *note* cream cheese works great too!
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 ounce semi-sweet baking chocolate
• mint leaves for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

• Brew espresso/coffee: Let cool for 5 minutes.
• Mix powdered sugar and mascarpone/cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix in vanilla extract and espresso/coffee.
• Fold whipped cream into coffee mixture gently. Place the tiramisu in a gallon size Ziploc bag -or pastry bag- that is fitted with a large round or 1M tip.
• Pipe a small amount on the bottom of each of 4 serving glasses (my glasses were 6 ounce size). Top the layer with a dusting of cocoa powder. Continue layering the tiramisu and cocoa powder. Once you get to the top layer, grate the 1 ounce of semi-sweet baking chocolate over the tops of the serving dishes.
• Chill, covered with plastic wrap, in the fridge until ready to serve.

Live Cooking Demo

The Cocktail

“Love Potion” – recipe adapted from Lark & Linen

Blackberry Simple Syrup:

• 1/3 cup blackberries -I used frozen berries
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup sugar

Other ingredients:

• 1 bottle bubbly – I used LaMarca Prosecco
• mint -or thyme- for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. In a small saucepan, bring the blackberries, water and sugar to a LOW boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Strain blackberries and let syrup cool.
2. Add 1 tsp. of syrup to the bottom of each glass. Top with bubbly and add in a sprig of mint (or thyme) and 2 blackberries. Cheers!

Final Say

These little Valentine’s Day treats will bring a smile to e’ryone’s faces, I promise! I think the only thing I’d change about the Tiramisu Mousse would be to make my OWN whipped cream next time. Reason being, the coolwhip – while lighter in calories (since I used the “LITE” version) just didn’t hold up as long as I wanted it to. It kind of became a melted mess by the time I finished piping the last of the mousse into the dessert cups. BUT IT WAS STILL DELICIOUS. (also, Producer Ben said the lite coolwhip left a little bit of an oily film in his mouth…you know, as coolwhip is wont to do. ) So, yes – the extra work of mixing heavy whipping cream with real sugar is worth it here! If you DO make your own whipped cream, be sure to taste the mousse for sweetness. You might find you need to add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar. Wanna make this a BOOZY dessert? Add some rum into the mousse while mixing (amount up to you!!) and you could also add lady finger biscuits in the layering process to make it more traditional tiramisu – instead of tiramisu mousse!